Intellectual property law is good. Excess in intellectual property law is not. This blog is about excess in Canadian and international copyright law, trademarks law and patent law. I practice IP law with Macera & Jarzyna, LLP in Ottawa, Canada. I've also been in government and academe. My views are purely personal and don't necessarily reflect those of my firm or any of its clients. Nothing on this blog should be taken as legal advice.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

"Is Three-Strikes Out?"

The "three strikes and you're out" proposal to banish those who content owners think are infringers from internet access appears to be in trouble in Europe. The threat is most serious in France.

Make no mistake - the big content companies are trying to re-configure the internet in order to assert control over content. If they can't sue users, they want to be able to banish them - without judicial safeguards. This could make the DMCA look like a Sunday school picnic.

The French proposal was being touted at Fordham by Michael Einhorn who frequently takes positions that are friendly to the record industry - and was most unconvincing in my view.